One Day Wilderness-June Lake and Loowit

June Lake is one of the easiest and most rewarding hikes I know about in the Mt. St Helens area. Take I-5 north to exit 21, Woodlawn and make a right to the lovely town of Cougar. Turn left on paved road 83 and then a left at the June Lake sign, the whole trip takes about an hour and a half from Portland. The nice thing about the Mt. St. Helens area is that the traffic is much better latter in the day on I-5 when you come home than if you went to Mt. Hood or the Gorge. Take the June Lake Trail 1.3 miles through the now/soon to be ripe huckleberry bush lined trail to the lake where a 40 ft. waterfall greets you as it drops off a ancient lava flow. The lake was formed from an older eruption on the Mountain that dammed the June Creek with a giant mudflow. Climb higher past the lake if you like to the Loowit Trail to enjoy better views of the St. Helens and distant Mount Adams to the east, hike as far as you like in either direction following the wooden poles that mark the trail. If you camp at the lake, I suggest hiking the Loowit counter clockwise to Ape Canyon (named for an old bigfoot sighting) 10 miles round trip. From there you start entering the Blast Zone from the 1980’s eruption next to Pumice Butte and enjoy delicious spring water as you revel in views of Spirit Lake, the Mt. Margaret Backcountry and distant Mt. Rainier, this is a good spot to turn around. Wear old shoes on this hike because the lava rocks you traverse will tear them up.

Ape Canyon

Enjoy a handful of huckleberries on the Loowit Trail

Distant Mt. Adams